Rafael Nadal is returning to competitive tennis after more than 300 days and Novak Djokovic should be a worried man. If Nadal can steer clear of more injuries, particularly career-threatening ones, the next few months in the tennis world can very well resemble the boxing world in terms of the vibe involving these two champion players. Nadal last competed at the Australian Open in January. Entering the tournament as defending champion after winning his 21st grand slam there in 2022, he …

The 2024 tennis season is fast approaching, with the Australian Open less than two months away. The Brisbane International will be one of the events held in Australia ahead of the opening Grand Slam of the year, and the field will be headlined by Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. On the men's side, American Ben Shelton has been confirmed as playing. After a three-year absence, the Brisbane International returns to the Australian summer of tennis with a premier WTA tournament and …

The top-ranked Djokovic won a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday with a straight-set victory over home favorite Jannik Sinner. Djokovic took 1 hour, 43 minutes to win 6-3, 6-3 as the Serbian continues to reach new heights at the age of 36. The raucous crowd in Turin’s Pala Alpitour were clearly backing the Italian, but Serbia’s Djokovic was able to shut out the noise to triumph in two sets and avenge a group-stage defeat to his opponent. Sinner had been roared …

It was another final of a tournament which ended with Novak Djokovic lifting a trophy aloft. This win continues a fantastic year for Djokovic, who completed a Paris double for a second time in his career. Djokovic, who has not lost a match since his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in July, won a record-extending seventh title at the Paris Masters on Sunday with a quick and easy 6-4, 6-3 victory over Grigor Dimitrov in the final. It is …

The ATP season is fast coming to a close in 2023, with just two significant events remaining on the calendar. One of these is the Rolex Paris Masters, which takes place this week in Bercy, Paris. The last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season gets underway on Monday. And it’s a blockbuster field, featuring all of the world’s top 16 players. With the ATP Finals just two weeks ago, three spots remain open for that event. Plus, the year-end world …

There are some massive moves in the men’s rankings this week. Ben Shelton, who made his first tour semifinal appearance at the US Open last month, continued his recent rich vein of form in Tokyo, making 18 winners and dominating his Russian opponent with his swinging lefty serve as he closed out the final in 84 minutes. The 21-year-old American won his first tour title, beating Aslan Karatsev 7-5, 6-1 at the Japan Open on Sunday. Victory will move Shelton to a career-high …

There were four tour-level events last week - one ATP event in Shanghai and three WTA events in Zhengzhou, Hong Kong and Seoul - and for three of the winners, their titles have given them some very notable bumps up the rankings this week. Hubert Hurkacz surprised Andrey Rublev to claim the Shanghai Masters title with a pulsating 6-3 3-6 7-6 (8) victory. The Pole came out on top after a thrilling third set to claim victory in China, overcoming a first …

Jannik Sinner produced a determined display to win his third title of the year and ninth overall with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) victory over second-seeded Daniil Medvedev in the final of the China Open on Wednesday. The Italian entered his fifth championship match of the year trailing the 27-year-old 0-6 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Sinner looked unfazed by his previous record against the World No. 3, though, firing his trademark clean groundstrokes with power to outlast Medvedev. "Daniil, …

Carlos Alcaraz makes his return to tennis this week after three weeks off. The world No. 2 last played at the US Open, where he was beaten in the semi-finals by Daniil Medvedev.The 20-year-old is set to make his debut at the China Open in Beijing this week, where he is the top seed. The Murcian will play qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the opening round of the ATP 500 tournament. In the Round of 32 of the China Open on Friday, Yannick …

The ATP and WTA tours will return to China this week. For the men’s ATP Tour, it will be the first time in the country since 2019, while the women’s WTA Tour has not been in China since early 2020. The WTA suspended events in China in December 2021 following concerns about the safety of Chinese player Peng Shuai. ATP AND WTA CHINA SCHEDULE September 20: Chengdu Open and Zhuhai Championships (ATP 250)/Guangzhou Open (WTA 250) September 25: Ningbo Open (WTA 250) September 28: China Open …

Novak Djokovic clinched his 24th Grand Slam title with a fourth US Open crown as he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final in New York. An imperious performance from Djokovic saw him hold the edge from start to finish with his opponent unable to ever hold the ascendancy on another famous night for the Serb as he produced a 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 victory at Flushing Meadows. The reigning Australian Open and Roland Garros champion is now also the first man to win …

Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka made a glammed-up return to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Wednesday, participating in a US Open Mental Health Forum alongside Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Osaka was last at the Open in 2022, shortly before beginning a maternity leave that resulted in the birth of daughter Shai. She also took time to watch some of the action at Flushing Meadows. "For me coming back here, it …